The Shroud Key (32 page)

I find myself smiling, laughing.

So I didn’t imagine seeing Jesus after all. And naturally, my having tracked down the true bones of Christ did not go unnoticed by the Vatican and those who shall remain anonymous but who bear most of the power in this world. The political and religious leaders. The spinners and the puppeteers … The cave painters … Those men and women who, through the centuries, have created the things we believe in and the rules we live and die by. The things that give us hope, true or false … The things that give meaning to our mortal lives.

Pocketing the smartphone, I resume my walk back to my studio apartment above the Italian restaurant. It’s time to get to work on my new novel.

THE END

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vincent Zandri is the
New York Times
and
USA Today
best-selling author of more than sixteen novels, including
The Innocent
,
Godchild
,
The Remains
,
Moonlight Falls
, and
The Shroud Key
. A freelance photojournalist and traveler, he is also the author of the blog
The Vincent Zandri Vox
. He lives in New York and Florence, Italy. For more, go to
http://www.vincentzandri.com/
.